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June 13 (Andrés Rojas).- Team Lotus has confirmed late on Monday that it will be expanding its aerodynamics operations by using one of Williams' wind tunnels from September onwards. The Norfolk-based outfit, Team Lotus, will consequently run on a double wind tunnel schedule, with work also continuing at the Aerolab facility in Italy.

Having worked with Aerolab since debuting in F1 last season, Lotus will begin to make use of the Williams wind tunnel from September; this plan will carry on until the team, led by the very determined Tony Fernandes, finishes work on its own wind tunnel at Hingham.

The deals with Aerolab and Williams will last as long as it takes for Team Lotus to complete the construction of its own wind tunnel at Hingham.

Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes said: "There are a number of reasons why I am delighted that we have signed this deal. From a practical perspective there are the obvious benefits of increasing our wind tunnel activity and using a state of the art facility in the UK, and I am sure that will immediately help Marianne Hinson (Head of Aerodynamics and CFD) and her team to work even more effectively in one of the key areas of the ongoing development of our team."

"The other side of the agreement is that I owe a great deal of thanks to Frank Williams, Patrick Head and Adam Parr as they were the first people I ever worked with in Formula 1.”

"AirAsia was a proud sponsor of their team and Frank, Patrick and Adam played key roles in introducing me to the Formula 1 world, so I am very pleased that we are able to keep working together as Team Lotus continues to establish itself as a serious force in Formula 1."

“There are a number of reasons why I am delighted that we have signed this deal,” the Malaysian comments. - From a practical perspective, there are the obvious benefits of increasing our wind tunnel activity and using a state of the art facility in the UK, and I am sure that will immediately help Marianne Hinson (Head of Aerodynamics and CFD) and her team to work even more effectively in one of the key areas of the ongoing development of our team.

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